Over the summer months I’ll be welcoming the teenagers involved in The Shoe Crew to guest-blog about what they’re doing to benefit a very special pair of charities, SHOES THAT FIT and A PLACE CALLED HOME.” The Crew is a group of really great kids including Justin and Kayla Tinucci, Taylor Hay and about 10 other kids. Some of them I’ve interviewed before, including today’s guest Sam Lant. The guest blogs will be sprinkled throughout the coming months, as The Shoe Crew efforts build towards the end of the summer.

Instead of an interview, I asked my young friend Sam Lant to write a guest post about his involvement in the charity project: Shoes That Fit. So I’ll shut up now and let Sam tell you all about it. Take it away, Sam!

Sam Lant

Hey Anthony:

Thanks for letting me share the limelight with you for just a few moments – what an honor to be asked to guest post on your site to share about our BIG SUMMER CHARITY PROJECT. As you know, we are fresh off the Ronald McDonald House Walk For Kids in which our team “THOSE CRAZY KIDS NEXT DOOR” raise $8,369 for Pasadena Ronald McDonald House. Since the walk for kids doesn’t come around again until next April, we are looking for something to keep us busy through the summer.

So, here is the deal. A bunch of us kids, with help from our parents, are doing a huge charity project for Shoes That Fit. This organization receives no government funding and relies entirely upon private donations from individuals, businesses and foundations. Their mission is to provide brand new athletic shoes to children in need so that they can go to school in comfort and with dignity, better prepared to learn and play. They have shown that giving kids a new pair of shoes helps raise self esteem which in turn boosts grade scores. It is amazing what a new pair of shoes can do.

I learned about the organization SHOES THAT FIT when I attended their SNEAKER BALL last month as a celebrity guest. My mom always has me research the events I attend so that I know why I am going and who it helps. My 16th birthday was coming up and I had been looking for a charity that could benefit from the gifts I was about to receive, while I don’t have much – there are people out there in this world who have much less. I have the important things in life… a roof over my head, food in my belly, a warm place to sleep and my X-Box. I immediately knew that this was the charity I wanted to help. My mom contacted the head of the organization and asked what we would need to do to set up an event to benefit their charity. From there the ball just got rolling. I thought it would be cool to have everyone bring a new pair of Athletic shoes in lieu of gifts for myself. Since I am inviting 200 teen actors, musicains and athletes to my birthday, I knew we could really go a long way toward filling up the warehouse in time for back to school in August.

My mom has been working hard gathering donations and sponsors. We are holding my birthday in a 3000 sq foot warehouse partially donated by E World Media, DJ Young Slade (son of Lil Jon) will be entertaining the guests with some of the hottest dance music, and Chick-Fil-A has kindly donated the food. We also have donations coming in for SWAG BAGS which we will give every guest who donates a pair of shoes for the chairty. But, I have bigger plans. I started a campaign on Indiegogo to help raise money so that I can purchase even more shoes to donate. You can check it out here….www.indiegogo.com/shoesthatfit I want to raise $5000 which I will then use to purchase shoes in the sizes most needed by the organization – you know those size 13 basketball shoes and the sizes that go the quickest because they are in high demand.

Enter the SHOE CREW –

The Shoe Crew

The Shoe Crew, 2012

It seems about the same time that my mom and I were working out the details for my birthday, Justin and Kayla Tinucci, along with their mom, had an idea of their own. Something bigger than what I had in mind. A summer project involving many teen and child actors (and parents) who were also looking for a way to give back to their community. Thus started “THE SHOE CREW.” We will be making a difference STEP BY STEP through the summer – not by throwing one big bash but by having each family host a smaller event which will lead up to THE SNEAKER BALL GRAND CELEBRATION August 18th.

So, WHO IS THE SHOE CREW???? Well, of course, Justin and Kayla Tinucci, myself (Sam Lant), as well as Saige Ryan Campbell, Dustynn and Ethynn Cerney, Sean Ryan Fox and his sister Camryn Molnar, Taylor Hay, Bryce Hitchcock, Abi Ann Hoffman, Merrit Leighton and her sister Marlowe Peyton, Malyssa Martinez, Garrett Palmer, Jason and Mark Rinkel, and rounding it out – Gabriel and Hannah Welch. We also have Dylan Riley Snyder from Disney Channel’s “Kickin-it” helping on our celebrity crew team. There are other teens/kids that will be joining in a long the way but these are the key SHOE CREW team members. Each family is in charge of hosting a different event where the entry to get in will be a new pair of athletic shoes or a monetary donation that we can use to buy the most needed sizes. Along with helping their parents plan their individual events the kids also have a bigger long term job which they will be in charge of all summer. Jobs such as: set-up team, t-shirt sales, social media outreach, inventory, web design, video team, team communications and red carpet stylist.

What events do we have in store? My SEXY 16th Birthday is going to be a private event but the rest of the events anyone can come out to participate. Now, this list is just a rough draft. Things might change as we go along. We are in the process of contacting venues and locking down locations. You can always follow along at our web site set up specifically for the SHOE CREW – http://theshoecrew-org.webs.com/ to see what event is taking place while you are in town. Here is a list of what it looks like so far:

June 9th – Sam Lant’s Sexy 16th Birthday

June 15th – launch of official Shoe Crew Campaign at I-Fly

June 16th – Summer concert

June 24th – Celebrity Dodge Ball

June 29th – Build a Mouse

July 14th – Drive in Movie

July 21st – Geocaching Event – High Tech Hide and Seek

July 23rd – Celebrity event with All-Star Wrestling Team

July 28th – Pink Event and music concert hosted by band Pink-E Swear

August 4th – Kart Racing

August 11th – Walk-A-Thon

August 18th – Sneaker Ball Closing Ceremony

HOW CAN YOU HELP???

If you live locally, attend the events. They are going to be a lot of fun and there is something for everyone. Our goal is to get the entire Los Angeles Area community involved in donating shoes. But, it goes beyond that. Are you a individual, business or foundation looking for a great place to spend your tax deductible dollars? Do you have a product that you want to get into the hands of teen actors, musicians and athletes? Are you an athlete, actor or musician who is sponsored (or receives gifts) and has a closet full of shoes you haven’t been able to wear and are looking for the perfect place to donate? Or….do you have the time to help tweet, share on facebook and email your friends to tell them about this exciting event???? We aren’t picky…help in any small or big way you can. If you have any questions you can always hit me up on twitter or facebook or email Jennifer Tinucci –jennifer@five-starpr.com

Sam Lant

Thanks for letting me come hang with you for the day. This was fun. We will end this in your usual fashion…. so Mr. Cardno – What is your favorite Book?

Anthony’s favorite punctuation mark is the semi-colon because thanks to cancer surgery in 2005, a semi-colon is all he has left. Enjoy Anthony's blog "Semi-Colon," where you will find Anthony's commentary on various literary subjects.